


Savages

by ardett



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Evil Alteans, Gen, Genocide, Historical References, Historical Slavery, Mentions of Racism, Unresolved Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 05:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11685105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardett/pseuds/ardett
Summary: Alteans and humans have very different definitions of what makes a society one of savages.





	Savages

**Author's Note:**

> Bruh, I know Sewing Patches is posting weekly but it's also not being written anymore, so I gotta do something else and this is it.

All the paladins sit around a table as Coran and Allura stare at the hologram screen. Its flickering blue lines slate across Allura’s face as she gives a contemplative hum, eyes narrowing and a hand flicking hair behind her ear. It is a history of Earth displayed before them and indeed, it is not a peaceful history.

It a collage of Altean research and the little video feed they’ve been able to intercept from wayward radio waves. They haven’t risked sending their own signals for fear of what the Galra can track, but the Alteans have deemed it important to gather Earthen intel, for bonding purposes.

Allura pauses on a particular image. It is of people in chains, in cotton fields, and with skin dark from more than just the sun.

“What… What is this?” she asks.

The paladins exchange glances, for they know. The guilt and horror of this time is still impressed upon generation after generation. Finally, Shiro speaks up.

“Slavery.”

(Under the table, Lance rubs his wrists unconsciously.)

“It was a dark time in our history.”

“Clearly.” Allura raises an eyebrow. “Slavery is a rather primitive practice. I was under the impression your society was more developed than that. I’m sure they were sentient?”

Hunk nervously looks up from where his finger traces patterns on the metal surface. “They… they who?”

“This…” Allura waves a hand. “This other race.”

“Other race?” At this, Lance interjects, “They’re human just like the rest of us.”

“Are they?” Allura stares at the image. “But they look so… different. They appear much darker than any of you and their hair is quite different as well. I am now familiar with all five of you. Do you not represent the human race?”

“No. I mean, yes, we’re all human but so are they!” Lance’s voice raises a decibel.

“So you enslaved your own species?” At Coran’s question, Lance balks.

“Well… I, I mean, we-”

Shiro quickly takes control of the conversation. “Earth has a wide array of regions and nationalities. We’re all different. We’re all human. In history, people haven’t always seen it that way. In particular, skin color was something that divided us. But that was a long time ago.”

“Exactly how long ago?” Coran questions.

All the paladins hesitate.

“Probably a little over a hundred years,” Pidge murmurs.

“Barely over a hundred years! I was under the impression you were a developed society, not one of savages!” Allura starts.

“Indeed,” Coran adds. “Altea hasn’t practiced anything as crude as slavery in millenia. Of course, we have no reason to for labor when much of our appliances run themselves.”

“And surely if you needed to exterminate this competitive race, you could have just done it. There’s no need to drag it out.” Allura moves to switch to the next slide but Hunk interrupts her.

“I’m- I’m sorry? Exterminate?”

“Yes. That is what I said, isn’t it? Coexistence is, of course, optimal but I understand that lesser species have to be dealt with eventually. Usually it’s a just matter of population growth.”

“On Altea our second class citizens were getting discontent as well. A bit rebellious. I’m sure you recall, Allura.” Allura nods to Coran’s statement.

“Oh yes, that was part of the problem, wasn’t it? But we never resorted to something so primitive as slavery. We simply let them go in their sleep. I suppose your society is not yet so advanced.”

“Them? Who is… them?” Though it is Shiro who asks, all the paladins are listening.

“Why, our lesser species. Is that not what we’ve been discussing this whole time, Shiro?”

“No, no it’s not!” Lance practically growls. “Black people aren’t a lesser species! They aren’t second class citizens! They’re human, Allura! We’re not killing other humans for population growth!”

“Oh…” Allura does look momentarily apologetic. “Perhaps I misunderstood.”

“What I think you ‘misunderstood’ is the human capacity for evil,” Keith scowls. “It doesn’t matter that we’re all human. It only matters that we’re all different. You think Zarkon is bad? Did he enslave other galra?”

Lance glares. “What the hell, Keith?”

“Come on, don’t play dumb with me.”

Okay, first, shut up, you haven’t said anything this whole time and now all you want to say is that we’re as bad as Zarkon? Second, I know, so again, shut up. And third-”

 _“Lance.”_ Lance’s mouth clicks closed and even though Shiro addressed Lance, his gaze is focused on the two Alteans. “What was that you were saying about extermination?”

“What is it you want to know, Shiro? I can explain the whole process to you if it is something you wish to return to Earth but I think perhaps it is not the time.”

“I want to know about your lesser species and what happened to them.”

Allura and Coran glance to each other. Finally, Allura sighs. “They were… sentient. As yours is, though I see I was mistaken about that.”

“And when you say sentient… What do you mean?”

“They understood commands and rules. They could hold a conversation. They had similar emotions to that of Alteans.”

“So what made them lesser?” There is a moment, too brief to hold onto, where Shiro seems to choke.

“They didn’t have the marks, of course! The Altean marks.” Coran cocks an eyebrow, as if this should be obvious.

Shiro taps the spot right under his eye. “The Altean marks. Right here.”

“That’s right.” Coran sits back, arms crossing loosely.

Shiro gives a long, slow blink. His eyes flicker over to Keith but he ignores the way Keith shakes his head.

“Shiro, _Shiro, don’t-”_

“And… and what else?” Shiro asks. Keith’s mouth snaps shut, eyes wide (as his hands jerk up to cover his ears, too late).

“Whatever do you mean, what else? The reason is self explanatory.” Allura’s tone is dismissive. (Pidge’s hand spasms, digging their nails further into their leg.)

“So you…” Shiro’s face is pale as funeral lilies. “How many? How many Alteans did you kill?”

“Shiro.” Allura barks out a laugh. “The marks are what makes one an Altean. And I suppose by definition we did kill them but they didn’t suffer as your slaves did. I don’t feel that the human race is in a position to judge us when you have sinned against your own race and we have not.”

There’s a screech of a chair against the floor as Hunk pushes away from the table and runs from the room, a hand covering his mouth.

“Pidge.” Keith’s voice is shaky and low. “You… you should go after Hunk and make sure he’s okay.” Pidge shakes their head. _“Pidge-”_ Keith hisses.

“No,” Pidge growls right back. “You just want me to leave because you don’t want me to hear. You don’t think I can handle it.”

Keith bares his teeth. “You’re right, I don’t want you to hear this because it’s-”

“Paladins.” Keith and Pidge freeze at Allura’s voice. “Whatever is the matter?”

“You killed people. You _murdered_ people.” Pidge’s hand clutch at the table’s edge.

Allura crosses her hands. “And you enslaved them. We have just watched your history. Does racism still not pervade your society? At least we were honorable enough to eliminate that problem 10,000 years ago.”

“The problem isn’t that you or your ancestors did it.” Lance snarls, eyes frigid as the grave. “The problem is that you don’t care. You don’t feel sad about it, or guilty. You don’t even feel bad. You took away people’s lives. Do you even regret it? Would you do it again?”

“Of course. They were not Alteans like Coran or I, so if any were to be sacrificed for the greater good...” She glances around at the paladins, reading their expressions. “But perhaps your species is still too primitive to understand. If this is going to continue to upset you so much, we can change the topic. I grow tired of this conversation anyway. Let us talk of this… “world war” you fought, yes?” Allura’s voice cuts through them, suddenly malicious and vindictive. “Or is that another dark time in your history you would like to act hypocritical of?”

A silence falls over the paladins and for a moment, just a moment, there is fear on their faces.

Allura’s face stretches with a hunter’s smile and for a moment, just a moment, her teeth seem to lengthen to fangs. “Don’t play games with me, paladins. You don’t understand what it means to be at the top of the food chain. You don’t have what it takes to survive in this universe just yet.” It is the face of an apex predator grinning back at them.

 

They do not speak of it again.

**Author's Note:**

> Lowkey inspired by [this art](http://trashyscarface.tumblr.com/post/162365449312/more-apexpredator-alteans-now-with-coran-x) and [this fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10661217)


End file.
